Member's Press Release

Senate President and House Speaker Urge Governor to Sign Minimum Wage Bill

CHARLESTON, W.V. – Senate President Jeff Kessler (D-Marshall) is urging Governor Tomblin to sign House Bill 4238, the minimum wage bill. The legislation raises the minimum wage in phases over the next two years.

“Any minor clarifications regarding exemptions in House Bill 4283 can be taken care of during a brief special session before its effective date and is not a reason to veto the bill,” says Senate President Kessler. “Signing this piece of legislation is not only the right thing to do for the state’s workers; it will also help the state’s economy. This bill puts more money in the pockets of hard working West Virginians, who in turn spend their money locally.”

House Bill 4238 raises the state minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $8.75 an hour by 2016. According to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, more than 127,000 working West Virginians will benefit from raising the minimum wage. This increase will help raise wages by more than $156 million over the next two years.

“This important piece of legislation will help the working men and women of West Virginia,” says House Speaker Tim Miley. “The people of this great state that go to work every day to support themselves and their families deserve to make a living wage. This is a very positive measure for our state. If people spent as much time and energy working to improve the bill as they have arguing against it, West Virginians would be much better off.”